To make up for all the lost time, here is another chapter. I hope you enjoy! Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It belongs to the wonderful Hayao Miyazaki and to Studio Ghibli.

Whistle Against the Wind

Chapter 7 – Distant Rumors

The water was freezing, coming up to Asbel's waist most of the time. The aqueduct sloped just enough to keep the water flowing down into the castle, but not enough that he couldn't climb his way out. It was pitch black and Asbel often found himself flailing his arms trying to make sure he was heading in the right direction. His wet hands would slip against the stone of the aqueduct walls and he would almost lose his footing, but he never did. He was going to make it out of there by morning.

After several hours in the chilly water, a faint light appeared. Asbel's heartbeat quickened and he felt himself frantically making his way toward the light. "Finally, the end."

Asbel was surprised to find himself at the base of one of the valleys windmills, its wooden gears cranking away in the night. He figured it must be close to morning. The pool of water at the base of the windmill was only knee-deep and Asbel could easily pull himself up onto the ledge that would take him out of there. The commotion he made, however, seemed to have caught the attention of the miller nearby.

From up above, a man with a very bright torch peered over the ledge, thinking at first an animal had gotten trapped in the windmill. His face paled when he realized a person was down there. "H-hey! You! What are you doing down there?"

"I just… I…" Asbel wasn't entirely sure how to answer him. Should he tell him he just escaped the castle dungeon? That'd be way too risky. Thankfully he didn't have to answer, much to his very out-of-breath relief, as the man up top threw him a rope to climb up. Asbel was sore and tired from his dungeon escape but to hell if he would stop now. He gripped the rope with his still-shackled hands and tightly wound his legs around, giving him a much better grip. The man began to pull him up, much to his surprise. Once he was close enough to the ledge, he let go of the rope and pulled himself up and onto the ledge, gasping sighs of relief.

"Boy, what were you doing down there? You could have been –" Asbel looked over to the man to see why he had paused. He was still holding the torch, thankfully, but the man looked like he had seen a ghost. Asbel had honestly forgotten that the entire valley believee him to be dead.

"P-prince Asbel!" the miller could barely say above a whisper. "Y-you're alive?" It was then that he noticed Asbel's shackles. "You? The dungeon?" He started to piece together. Asbel merely nodded, still rather out of breath.

"Did the princess do this to you?" Without even thinking, Asbel had leapt to his feet, weariness escaping his body in a slight feeling of anger.

"Of course not! Nausicaä could never do something like this!" He was angry but didn't know why. The miller had no idea what had happened and he shouldn't have jumped down his throat. But he was tired, sore, and his wrists were rubbed raw by the shackles.

"I'm sorry, sir. I've been through a lot." Asbel quickly glanced around, noticing a ladder that led up higher into the windmill, presumably where the miller lived. "Can I trust you?"

The man nodded furiously. "Of course, your highness. The name is Horan."

"Then please keep this a secret. The princess is in grave danger and it will do us no use if the entire village knows where I am." The miller nodded once again. "Do you perhaps have a place I may rest? Or," looking down at his wrists, "something to cut these godforsaken things off of me?"

Nausicaä barely slept that night. She wanted nothing but to sneak out of her room, retrieve her hang glider, and go to look for Asbel herself. But Prince Cáel didn't want anyone, especially her, to go on any "adventures" as Asbel had, fearing she may too end up dead.

She just had no idea what to think anymore. Did the prince know? Or did Grafton harbor a personal ill will towards Asbel? She knew the prince did not seem to care for Asbel, but to go as far as… possibly killing him… Could he?

No. Asbel was alive. She just had to keep telling herself that. They had been through much more difficult situations before and he had always pulled through for her.

She just felt so useless; a damsel in distress. She wasn't a damsel but she couldn't lie that she wasn't in distress. It was the feeling of having absolutely no control that shook her to her core. The feeling of not being able to do anything to save her friend – if he indeed still lived – or to even save herself if she could. No… she had to wait. Her duty to her people was to remain strong no matter what. She gripped Asbel's floppy brown hat tightly to her chest as she finally succumbed to a much needed sleep.

Asbel didn't know how long he had been asleep. By the time he woke up, the sun was high in the sky and shining right through the tiny window in the side of the windmill.

"Did you sleep okay?" came a small, but humble voice from the top of the ladder. That certainly wasn't the man who helped him earlier. Asbel whipped around, rather startled, to see a middle-aged woman, short but not exactly thin, instead of the miller (Although he was secretly relieved the voice didn't belong to Horan).

The woman must have sensed his unease, knowing the miller had promised not to tell anyone about him. "Oh, do not worry Prince Asbel, I'm Horan's wife, Iselia. Your secret is safe with us." She smiled and produced a small tray of food as she climbed up to the loft from the ladder. How she had managed to climb the ladder with the tray, he would never know, but he was grateful all the same.

"Thank you, Iselia." He sat up fully in the cot they had set up for him. "This must be their bedroom," he thought a little guiltily, hoping he hadn't kicked anyone out or caused them too much trouble. He gladly took the tray of food and inhaled it, as politely as he could manage.

The kitchen must have been at the base of the ladder (where Asbel had entered the windmill), as Horan soon climbed up the ladder and sat himself in a large chair across from Asbel's cot, gnawing on an apple.

"So, Prince Asbel, you aren't dead after all," he said with a slight bit of humor in his voice. But soon his face darkened with seriousness. "Please, tell us everything that happened."

Finally having slept, Nausicaä had accidentally overslept. She knew the prince hated to eat breakfast late but always insisted that she join him. She threw on her trademark blue dress and bolted down the steps of the castle, running her fingers through her hair as a makeshift brush.

By the time she arrived in the dining hall for breakfast, Prince Cáel had already finished. He sat at the end of the long table, just staring, as she entered the room.

"Why, Princess Nausicaä, how good of you to join us this morning." She didn't like the tone in his voice. Sickeningly sweet.

"I'm sorry, I must have overslept. I do apologize." She quickly sat down next to him at the table as she was brought a plate of food. Prince Cáel continued to stare at her suspiciously.

"Prince Cáel, your highness, a word?" For the first time, Nausicaä was relieved at the presence of the prince's right-hand man, Grafton.

"Do excuse me, princess." The prince swiftly walked to the doorway in which Grafton stood and disappeared behind the hall doors with a soft click.

"WHAT!" Prince Cáel tried to keep as quiet as he could. "How the HELL did he escape?"

Grafton was nervously gripping the ends of his tunic, trying to explain how Asbel must have broken free. The prince simply rubbed his temples in annoyance and tapped his foot, all quite the distraction of Grafton who was trying to explain himself.

"I KNEW we should have kept a guard down there!" the prince exclaimed, still trying to make sure no eavesdropping ears were within earshot.

"But, your majesty, you know as well as I do that it would have drawn too much attention. Besides, the more who knew – "

"Damn it, I know what I said, Grafton!" Prince Cáel intervened. "But now I've got a pest on the loose and my wedding isn't for another six days." He sighed. "Just make sure that the little rat doesn't find his way back to the castle – much less back to our dear Nausicaä." With that, the prince turned on his heel and headed back into the dining hall.

Nausicaä had only heard muffled shouts from the hallway, but she knew something bad had happened. Whether it was bad for her or Prince Cáel (or both of them perhaps?) she did not know. All she knew was he was angry when he returned.

"Is everything alright, Prince Cáel?" Nausicaä asked as genuinely as she could. He simply turned to her, shooting daggers from his eyes to hers, and sat back down. And there he sat, in an angry quiet, watching Nausicaä uncomfortably eat her breakfast.

"Oh my goodness…" Iselia clasped her hand over hear mouth as Asbel finished his harrowing tale.

"I just… I don't know what Prince Cáel is planning to do." Asbel closed his eyes and sighed. "I think that's what bothers me the most. However…" at this he raised up his scarred wrists, "I think we can all agree that there is definitely something sinister about that man."

Horan stood suddenly, a look of determination on his face. "Prince Asbel, what can we do? We cannot let anything bad befall the princess, much less the people of the valley."

"I know…"

Just then, Iselia stood up. "Asbel, I'm not sure if you are aware of this but… the wedding is in six days." Asbel's face paled. Of course he knew it would be soon… but damn that gave him less than a week! Less than a week to figure out the prince's evil plan, overthrow him, stop the wedding, save Nausicaä…

Asbel needed help, but he knew that would take a lot of trust. He'd need to let others in on the plan, hope no one was secretly on the prince's side, gather an army…

Mito.

"Horan, are you acquaintances with Mito perhaps?" Horan seemed to think about it for a second before answering.

"Well, I've certainly known him for many years. We aren't the best of friends, but we sure do get along."

"Good," Asbel replied. "Let me know the soonest he can meet us here."

Throughout the rest of the day, Prince Cáel never left her side. Usually he would go off, doing who-knows-what, while she met with her wedding planners or talked with the people of the valley. But not today. Something had happened at breakfast that forced her to be under the constant gaze of the prince. Before, she had hoped that his blunt manners and coldness were just out of nerves. He had seemed so nice when she first met him. But then Asbel and Lord Yupa showed up and… That was it. She needed to talk to Lord Yupa.

"Prince Cáel, would it be alright if I spoke with Lord Yupa? It's quite a personal matter." She hoped he would understand, considering Lord Yupa was basically the only father figure left in her life. Well, except Mito, of course, but Nausicaä always viewed him more as a close friend.

The prince eyed her suspiciously but finally conceded. "I shall escort you to Lord Yupa's chambers. The moment you are done, you are to join me downstairs for dinner." Nausicaä slowly nodded in agreement as Prince Cáel led the way (even though Nausicaä knew full well where Lord Yupa was. It was best not to question his actions.)

They stopped in front of his door, an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Well, I will… see you at dinner." With that, the prince was off down the hall.

Nausicaä waited until he was at the end of the hallway before knocking. In a matter of moments, Lord Yupa was at the door, rather startled to see the princess.

"Nausicaä… what pleasure do I have of seeing you this evening?"

She couldn't take it anymore. It had been days since the tears had streamed from her eyes, but there was certainly no stopping them now. "Oh, Lord Yupa! Please tell me everything that happened to you and Asbel! I need to know!" She flung her arms tightly around the aging warrior.

Lord Yupa had no idea why now was the time that Nausicaä wanted to hear about his travels with Asbel, but he complied. She had been through a lot lately, and he she deserved to forget her troubles for a while.

He began to tell her of the cities he and Asbel had come across; once vibrant metropolises, now barren wastelands, laid claim by the toxic jungle. There had been one ray of hope for many of the peoples across the continent, however: many were migrating towards the ocean, to cities like Luin, Tevaril, and Amras.

"Amras…" Nausicaä paused him, her breath almost stopping completely. "Tell me what Amras is like."

"Well, we were only there for a few days… but it was a grand city on the cliffs of the Great Ocean. The castle was magnificent, the market always flooded with spices, textiles, and crafts from all over the continent."

Nausicaä sighed. "It sounds wonderful, Lord Yupa."

He smiled. "Yes, well, not all are as they seem." Nausicaä perked up a bit, eyes widening with curiosity. "You see, Nausicaä, the kingdom has been in severe turmoil with the death of their King. The King had two sons, one who is struggling to keep hold of the crown and, the other, well, you know him quite well."

"But… Lord Yupa, I don't see how this really has anything to do with what is going on here." Nausicaä's face wedged between her palms as she sprawled across Lord Yupa's bed, her eyes still wide like a five year old hearing a fairytale for the first time.

"There were rumors. Rumors of the King's youngest son being betrothed. And many within the kingdom believed the betrothal would bring life back into the city. Yes, people from all over flocked to the city for trade and commerce, but, bubbling below the surface is a regime bent on overthrowing the crown. Apparently many in the kingdom did not agree with the monarchy's determination of taking over every city on the coast. Starting with the Valley of the Wind."

Nausicaä gasped. "No… that's… that can't be true!"

Lord Yupa sighed. "Nausicaä, all I know is what we heard. I didn't even know at first who the prince had been betrothed to. But upon our return to the valley, it was made quite clear."

"But… why didn't you tell me? If you knew he was just going to take over the valley, why did you let him?"

"Nausicaä, you have to understand. When we arrived, he seemed like a gentlemen. The rumors that had followed us for months had felt like just that – rumors. How was I to know if they were true? How do we know now if any of it is true?"

This had been the moment Nausicaä was waiting for. She reached into one of the deep pockets of her dress and removed a floppy brown hat.

"Because Asbel is alive."

Thanks for reading! Please review!

-brigette (Kaze-no-Tenshi89)